After a three-hour meeting on Wednesday evening, August 13, 2025, the Saline Township Board voted unanimously to table data center developer Related Digital’s rezoning request for 525 acres north of US-12 and east of Braun Road until its next board meeting on September 10th.
Board Supervisor Jim Marion, with assistance from Treasurer Jennifer Zink, did an admirable job providing area residents with opportunities to voice questions and concerns while maintaining order and decorum. Like recent planning commission meetings, most speakers voiced concerns and objections to the proposed data center. Concerns centered around a few major themes. These included:
- Impact upon traffic on an already busy US-12, especially during morning and afternoon rush hours
- Potential impact on water quality and on the underlying aquifer, which supplies water to existing homes in the area
- Potential impact on local energy resources and residents having to bear cost increases in their electrical service because of the data center
- Potential noise pollution from the site and its impact upon the health of residents who live nearby
- Potential impact of lighting from the development
- Skepticism about the financial benefits to the township and Saline Area Schools
- And a generalized mistrust of promises made by Related Digital
After over two hours of public comment, the board began a discussion of the rezoning request. Township consulting attorney Fred Lucas advised the board of the difference between approving a rezoning request and an approval of a site plan.
“Approving a rezoning request is a legislative act by the board,” Lucas said, citing criteria contained in legislation and local ordinances governing rezoning requests. “Approving a site plan is an administrative action. It is different,” Lucas said. “You evaluate a site plan on whether it meets your local ordinances, and if it does, you have to approve the site plan.”…